Is there any way to undarken side rods short of re-nickeling them?
Has anyone tried this in the past?
What were your results?
Any input welcome.
Perhaps you could try using some sort of polishing compound, rub it on. Blackened side rods look good to me, what’s the reason for undoing it?
-Peter. Mantua collector, 3D printing enthusiast, Korail modeler.
TheFlyingScotsmanIs there any way to undarken side rods short of re-nickeling them?...
Well, if they're painted, some lacquer thinner or MEK, applied with a brush, should get rid of the paint.
If the siderods have been chemically blackened, you may be able to remove it using find steel wool, but it might be best to first remove the rods from the locomotive, as you don't want the steel bits from the wool in the mechanism, or, even worse, in the motor.
In either case, you'll learn whether the rods look better or worse, without the darkening. I generally paint mine, but for some, use a chemical blackener. The latter is especially good if you've had to fabricate replacement rod or valve gear parts for out-of-production locos, as brass is the easiest material to use, and can be easily blackened, too.
Wayne
Da Stumer Thanks for the suggestions. Why do I want to remove the darkening? I find that on some of my locomotives the most intriguing element is cunningly cammoflaged and I can't very well see it. Also, unfashionably, prefer the ex-works look.
Here is my two-cents worth.
Trying to remove material to achieve a "shiny" finish sounds risky to me. My experience with connecting rods is that many are made of brass, with a coating of something that seems to be nickel. Some brass models are made with stainless steel, but something tells me that we are not dealing with that. Older kit models would be made from soft metals that are not shiny at all... Bachmann seems to apply a chemical product to alter their color through some form of oxydization. Trying to remove that in a clean way would involve removing the gear, as suggested by Wayne, otherwise you will have an uneven color. Rubbing the oxydized coating is risky in my opinion - you might go to far and expose the brass underneath. I doubt that you will get that shiny look you are looking for.
The safest way would be to repaint them in the color of your liking. But hey, I could be off here... let us know what happens. As indicated in another thread, experimentation is part of this hobby.
Simon
EDIT: if you want to see your linkages and rods, you can also weather them using a sand or light brown color.
A brass wire brush in a Dremel tool at a reduced speed should remove the blackening and/or paint without damaging the metal of the side rods/valve gear itself but definitely you'd want it all removed from the locomotive first.
Dave Nelson
doctorwayne I generally paint mine, but for some, use a chemical blackener. The latter is especially good if you've had to fabricate replacement rod or valve gear parts for out-of-production locos, as brass is the easiest material to use, and can be easily blackened, too. Wayne
I generally paint mine, but for some, use a chemical blackener. The latter is especially good if you've had to fabricate replacement rod or valve gear parts for out-of-production locos, as brass is the easiest material to use, and can be easily blackened, too.
Not hijack forum but what do you use to chemically blacken brass? I have a bridge I am working on whose tension rods are brass but would prefer them to blackened. Any pointers to what I can use?
Thanks.
As for the OP's question. If you can remove them from locomotive some 600 or 1000 grit wet sandpaper should take off the finish and leave a very smooth surface. remember to wet sand it not dry. it will make paper last longer and give a better surface finish.
Colorado Front Range Railroad: http://www.coloradofrontrangerr.com/
Micro-Engineering makes a rail weathering solution. That's what I have. Unless they changed their formula, it can be pretty agressive in its oxydization effect. I would use an airbrush for a bridge. I've applied Wayne's approach: paint it a rust color first, then paint with a warm black, leaving some rust showing through.
The chemical blackener I used was selenium-based. This is somewhat dangerous. There are other solutions marketed for different metals now... a little online research will give you a good range of options, and places to purchase them.
snjroy Micro-Engineering makes a rail weathering solution. That's what I have. Unless they changed their formula, it can be pretty agressive in its oxydization effect. Simon
Micro-Engineering makes a rail weathering solution. That's what I have. Unless they changed their formula, it can be pretty agressive in its oxydization effect.
Agreed, I used it on some turnouts and it gave the nickle silver a greenish cast. I was hoping it matched Micro Engineering's own pre weathered flextrack but it did not.
snjroy Here is my two-cents worth. Trying to remove material to achieve a "shiny" finish sounds risky to me. My experience with connecting rods is that many are made of brass, with a coating of something that seems to be nickel. Some brass models are made with stainless steel, but something tells me that we are not dealing with that. Older kit models would be made from soft metals that are not shiny at all... Bachmann seems to apply a chemical product to alter their color through some form of oxydization. Trying to remove that in a clean way would involve removing the gear, as suggested by Wayne, otherwise you will have an uneven color. Rubbing the oxydized coating is risky in my opinion - you might go to far and expose the brass underneath. I doubt that you will get that shiny look you are looking for. The safest way would be to repaint them in the color of your liking. But hey, I could be off here... let us know what happens. As indicated in another thread, experimentation is part of this hobby. Simon EDIT: if you want to see your linkages and rods, you can also weather them using a sand or light brown color.
The two I was thinking of were both BLI, but I agree with you painting may well be the most realistic option to avoid damage. TBH it's in a fairly gigantic in-tray but when it happens I will be glad to post the results.
Thanks for your thoughts everyone.
Renegade1cNot hijack forum but what do you use to chemically blacken brass? I have a bridge I am working on whose tension rods are brass but would prefer them to blackened. Any pointers to what I can use?
I originally used Hobby Black, and if I recall correctly, I got it from Hobbies For Men, in Beacon, New York. I haven't seen that stuff for years, but A-West Blacken-It works pretty well, too.
When I ran out of that stuff, I used gun blue, which works pretty-much the same on brass.
When using any of these blackeners on brass, you'll get faster and better results if you first remove the oxidation from it. For brass wire and strip material, I usually drag it through a folded-over piece of fine wet/dry sandpaper, used dry. Takes only a few seconds, but makes a difference in the results.
It might be more than you're looking to do, but I did a quick Google and found what looked to be a fairly simple setup for electroplating small parts.
Nothing a model railroader couldn't handle.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.